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Jed Greyrock
Jed Greyrock was the third Council Premier of Daravia. He was elected twice, non-consecutively; he served from 217 to 222, and again from 242 to 247. Early life Jed Greyrock was born to Hobart Greyrock, a mason, in 194 DR; Hobart was heavily in favor of the new parliamentary system, and he raised his children to enter politics. Jed and his brother Edmund both pursued political careers and attended elite academies in Castleton. First parliamentary career Jed was only seventeen when the 212 elections began, and so he was not expected to succeed; however, voters were intrigued by the increased political focus shown by the Greyrock family, and Jed became a parliamentary representative of Sargos that year. He was passionately in favor of Daravian expansion into Rubinau after the nothern island's discovery in 215, reflecting popular opinion, and thus became a leading figure in Daravian politics of the time. First premiership Jed Greyrock ran for the Council Premier position in 217, on a pro-colonial platform; capitalizing on Daravian colonial fervor, he managed to defeat incumbent Arthur Pewterman and take the premiership. The increased royal focus on colonialism that this position engendered meant that King Gerald II was less involved in internal affairs during this time, and so the parliament became an increasingly relevant force towards shaping Daravian economic and social policy. However, Jed had a minimal personal agenda, and so he accomplished little in his first term beyond gaining parliament a foothold in Daravian administration; thus, he was less appealing of a candidate when he ran for reelection, and instead the more conservative Yorick Alkesman won the 222 election. Parliament under Alkesman Jed's defeat drove him to work on refining and pursuing political goals, and so he remained a parliamentary figure— albeit a minor one— during the next five-year term. During this time, he made several visits to Cadra and became convinced of the necessity of improving the quality of life for people in provincial areas of the Daravian empire. This also put Jed increasingly at odds with Alkesman's philosophy, which called for strengthening the parliament into effectively a second noble class; although Alkesman remained popular, Jed increasingly became a major opposition force within the parliament. Edmund Greyrock was also a parliamentarian during this period, and the two brothers led the faction for the "commonization" of parliament. The contention reached its peak in the 232–237 term, as the accession of Queen Laurel II (who was married to a lowborn man) inspired Jed to decry Alkesman as "more lavish than the crown." Edmund himself campaigned for Council Premier in 237, but he was blinded in a failed assassination attempt, forcing him out of politics. Jed attempted to capitalize on this to sabotage Alkesman's career, but Alkesman was quick to investigate the incident and punish offenders, redeeming him in the public's eyes. However, since Alkesman was into his final term by this point, Jed took a more reserved stance until it came time for the next election. Second premiership Jed's 242 platform was centered on citizenship for all "continentals" and on his significant political experience. His main opponent was the fairly unimpressive Norman Bulric, an Alkesman crony, and so Jed won with relative ease. With this term, Jed was substantially more active than before, and he was able to have full citizens' rights granted to Cadrals and Sunicars who owned property. Content with his accomplishments, Jed chose not to run for a third term in 247, and instead retired from the parliament. He moved out to Rubinau and became a tutor for noble Daravians there, where he lived until his death in 265. Personal life As part of his effort to increase his family's political presence, Jed moved mainly in politically connected social circles. It was here that he met Anita Groughs, the daughter of former Council Premier Helman, and they married in 211. They had two daughters— Vanessa, the elder, was born in 215, while Jean was born in 218. Jed always had generally friendly familial relations, although contact became more difficult when Jed and Anita moved to Rubinau. Anita died in 254, and Jed returned briefly to Castleton to have her buried there. Category:Daravians Category:Elected Officials Category:Parliament Heads